Okujima Week 2019
by Sirius I'm Serious
Summary: A Persona 5 challenge featuring the Okujima (Makoto x Haru) ship. Seven days, and seven prompts to show the different aspects of their relationship. From funny to serious, this story will have it all!
1. Soft-Fluff

Disclaimer: _I do not own anything in the Persona series._

 _Another Persona 5 fanfiction challenge!_

 _This challenge features a very specific pairing: Makoto x Haru or Okujima if you want to know their ship name. If you read my last challenge fanfiction which included pairings for all of the (human) Phantom Thieves, you'll remember that I mentioned Okujima was my OTP for Persona 5. So, when this challenge appeared on Tumblr a few months later, I knew I had to participate!_

 _For this challenge, the author or artist must post their work during the week of January 21 – January 27, with a different prompt each day. Go and search_ _#okujima week_ _if you are curious and want to see other works – I know I will be doing that!_

 _The first day is soft/fluff, so that is what today's story is all about! In addition, all of my stories will be one-shots, and will be romantic in nature. The challenge doesn't specifically say it has to be, but that was the implication I received, so I'm going with that!_

 _Please enjoy this first part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!_

* * *

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

Lives Shared:

Soft/Fluff

-Haru-

"Hey… Haru?"

Said girl turned at the sound of the timid voice behind her. Classes had just ended, and Haru had been packing up her things at her desk to leave. Her plan was to check up on her plants on the rooftop, and then she was going to go home. Even though the Phantom Thieves had disbanded several months prior, Haru found that her days were still just as busy as ever, having to contend with both schoolwork and helping to run her father's company. But today, she had no such plans, so she was going to use this free day to catch up on other things, chief among them getting a good night's rest.

It appeared as though that would have to be put on hold, though, as she turned to look at the person who had spoken to her. Her best friend and girlfriend of several months Makoto Niijima was standing there, her expression somewhat nervous. It was unusual to see the usually confident and collected student council president this way. Haru briefly wondered what was wrong.

"Mako-chan! What a pleasant surprise. Is something the matter?" Haru inquired, tilting her head to one side.

Haru's curiosity was piqued further as Makoto answered her with a stutter. "O-of course not! I… was wondering if you'd like to spend some time together. If you're free, that is," she added.

Haru smiled. Makoto was always so kind and considerate of others, even if she wasn't always sure how to express that concern. "Definitely! I was going to check on the plants, but I think they'll be fine for one day."

Makoto blinked. "Really? I don't want to prevent you from taking proper care of them."

The gardener giggled. "It's no trouble at all, Mako-chan. I always check on them at lunch anyway, so I don't necessarily need to look at them now." Makoto opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to insist that she had changed her mind, but Haru beat her to it. "You're not inconveniencing me, Mako-chan. It's always a pleasure to spend time with you." She smiled warmly.

Makoto closed her mouth, blushing slightly. "How did you know that's what I was going to say?"

"Well, we have been dating for months. I'd be more surprised if I didn't know by now!" She picked up her school bag.

Makoto chuckled. "That's a very good point. I'd like to say I have the same perspective in regards to you, but sometimes, I'm not so sure."

Haru glanced around. She saw that at this point, everyone else had left the classroom. While she enjoyed spending time with her girlfriend, she knew that being around the student council president made many other students uneasy, so they tended to disperse more often than not when she was in a room. Even though she had noticeably softened after becoming a Phantom Thief, she did still exude an air of strict adherence to the rules.

Since everyone was gone, Haru decided to display some affection towards Makoto. The other girl was nervous about doing that publicly, but Haru knew that she appreciated being cared for. Stepping closer, she gave a quick peck on the girl's lips, smiling as Makoto's eyes went wide. "How do you think I'm feeling now?"

Makoto cleared her throat, her eyes darting around the classroom to see if anyone else had seen. Her features noticeably relaxed as she came to the same realization that Haru had. She wrapped her arms around the shorter girl and squeezed. "I would hazard a guess to say affectionate and content." She gave Haru a quick kiss to the side of her head. "Am I close?"

Haru nodded, blushing at how bold Makoto was being at school. "Spot on."

The two stood there for a moment, Haru sighing happily. Makoto was soft yet sturdy, and she was always there for Haru to lean on, both literally and metaphorically.

"So!" Makoto pulled away from the embrace and took a step back. Haru moved away a bit as well, a little dejected that the quiet moment between them had passed. "Let's go. I was thinking we could go back to my place."

Haru grinned. She knew what the other meant, but she decided to tease her about it anyway. "Mako-chan! You're so forward. I know we've been dating for a while, but I didn't know we were at _that_ stage already."

Haru watched as Makoto's face instantly went red. It was almost comical how quickly the blush on her face appeared. "N-not in _that_ way! I-I mean, you've been over before, and nothing like that's happened. I mean, not that _nothing_ happens, but –!"

"Mako-chan." Haru placed a hand on the other girl's face. "I'm only teasing."

The student council president sighed. "That was cruel, you know."

"I know." Haru giggled, patting her face before pulling back.

"Anyway. Let's go." She stepped back and gestured towards the door. "After you."

Haru nodded at her as she walked out, with Makoto following closely behind.

The two seniors made their way to the subway station, Haru telling Makoto about her day. The other girl nodded and talked about her day as well, and the before the two knew it, they had ridden the subway and were in front of the Niijima apartment building.

"Here we are." Haru scurried up to the door, pulling it and holding it open for the other girl.

"Shouldn't I be doing this for you? This is where I live, after all." Makoto shook her head as she passed, entering the building,

"Perhaps, but I wanted to make up for earlier. For teasing you," Haru clarified at Makoto's confused expression. The shorter girl walked inside as well, letting the door swing shut behind them.

"I see. Thank you, then." Makoto ghosted a hand across Haru's cheek and smiled at her. Haru returned the smile just as warmly.

The two made their way up the stairs, forgoing the elevator in favor of fitting in some exercise.

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the door to the Niijima apartment, with Haru waiting patiently for Makoto to unlock it.

The other girl reached into her bag, taking out her key. She lifted it to the lock before suddenly turning her head back towards her bag.

"Is something the matter?" Haru asked, watching as Makoto used her free hand to extract her cell phone.

Makoto looked up at her, her warm smile dispelling any worry that Haru had been feeling. "Not at all. Just Sis asking me about something." She handed Haru the key. "Would you mind unlocking the apartment for me?"

Haru nodded, her hand touching Makoto's slightly as she took hold of the key. "Of course." She turned to unlock the door, seeing Makoto texting her sister out of the corner of her eye.

The door unlocked with a "click", and Haru opened it, walking in and waiting for her girlfriend to follow.

Makoto looked up, nodding at her. She slipped her cell phone back into her bag and stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind her.

Haru handed the key back to the other girl. "Here you go, Mako-chan."

To her surprise, her hand was pushed back. "That's okay, Haru. You should hold onto it." Haru looked at the other girl to see her still smiling warmly at her.

"I see?" Haru was confused. "I guess I can hold onto it until I leave." She went to place it into her bag, when her hand was suddenly grasped by Makoto's. Now Haru was definitely confused. "Do you want it back after all?"

Makoto was blushing. "Um… Haru. I was thinking you could hold onto that key… for the foreseeable future." Apparently still sensing her girlfriend's confusion, Makoto used her free hand to dig back into her bag, pulling out a Buchimaru-kun lanyard. Attached to it was a key, and it looked similar to the one in Haru's own hand.

And that's when it hit her. Makoto had her own key, and now that Haru looked more closely at the one she was holding, it did look relatively new. Which meant…

Haru gasped, realizing what was happening. "Mako-chan…"

Makoto smiled. "Haru. We've been dating for a while now, and I really care about you. I… trust you completely, and I wanted to show you that." She squeezed Haru's hand. "You've been there for me ever since you became a Phantom Thief, and… I know that I'm not always the best at expressing my feelings, or picking up on your flirtations, but I do truly appreciate everything that you do for me."

Suddenly, the girl looked down, a flush on her face. "If… you're not comfortable with this, or think I'm moving too quickly, please let me know. I… I've never dated anyone before, so I'm not sure if this is the correct protocol."

Haru didn't respond. She couldn't. Her heart was fit to burst with happiness, and she was so overcome with emotion that she could not physically form words. She knew that Makoto was definitely the type to take her time with a relationship, and so far, Haru herself had been the one to advance it most of the time. But for Makoto to do something like this… and in such a Makoto-like way…

It seemed that Makoto took her girlfriend's silence as an uncomfortable one. "I-I mean… you are over here several days a week anyway, so I didn't think it was too big of a deal…" She looked back up. "I was thinking that… once I move out and find my own place, and you do something similar, we could… maybe get our own place. Together." She chuckled nervously. "But for now, I figured having you be able to visit whenever you would like would be the next-best thing."

Haru smiled, her eyes watery. "Mako-chan…"

The student council president returned her smile. "Good. I'm glad I didn't upset you –" She couldn't finish her sentence as Haru flung her arms around her, squeezing with all her might. "H-Haru?"

Finally, Haru found a voice to her feelings. "I'm so happy about this! Really, Mako-chan!" She moved her head back to be able to kiss the other girl, who made a surprised sound but returned the gesture nonetheless. Pulling back, she murmured, "I… I've always loved how earnest you are, and how you take everything so seriously. It lets me know… that you really care." She held up her key. "And this… is really the most thoughtful gift I've ever received. I knew that you cared… but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see just how _much_ you care."

Makoto smiled. "Thank you, Haru." She hugged the girl, moving her head to her shoulder. "I never thought I would feel this deeply about another person, but your kindness and gentle disposition won me over." She leaned back in Haru's embrace, looking deeply into her eyes. "It's truly my honor to give this to you."

The two smiled at each other for a little longer, enjoying the new step forward in their relationship. It pleased Haru to no end that Makoto trusted her deeply enough to share her living space with her. As Haru had just said, the other girl was serious, and that meant that she took every precaution before making a decision. So, the fact that the other girl had thought long and hard before ultimately coming to this decision made Haru's heart swell with affection and pride for being able to make the girl she cared for so… content.

Speaking of which, though this was Makoto's lodging, it wasn't exactly hers alone. "Mako-chan?" Haru asked, rubbing her hands up and down the other girl's back.

"Yes?"

"Did you… talk this over with your sister? Is she okay with me having access to your apartment?"

Makoto chuckled. "I did. She was completely on board with the idea. She said that you're the only reason any of our houseplants are still alive."

Haru giggled. "That sounds like something Sae-san would say. But I'm surprised. She seems like a private person. Even if I'm her sister's girlfriend, it seems odd that she would accept this so easily."

"You really know the both of us too well." Makoto shook her head. "I actually talked about this decision extensively with her, and she didn't accept it right away. It wasn't until she asked me a question, and I answered it, that she felt that I had to do this."

Haru's heart beat a little bit faster. "What was the question?"

Makoto smiled. "Would you trust her with your life?"

Haru raised her eyebrows. "That seems a little dramatic for this type of situation."

"Well, if you think about it, not really." Makoto chuckled. "Technically, you could enter the apartment and kill either one of us if you wanted to."

Haru blanched. "What a horrible thought! I'm surprised your sister would even think of that."

The other girl shook her head. "I don't think she really thought it. But she wanted to see how serious I was about you."

"I see. And… how did you respond?" Haru's heart continued to pound, curious as to how Makoto would answer that would make her sister completely comfortable with her decision.

"Of course I would. She's already saved it several times." Makoto tilted her head. "I thought it was obvious, really. Our times in the Metaverse made us all depend on each other."

Haru smiled. "Mako-chan…"

Makoto smiled back. "It's the truth. And… I trust that you feel the same?"

Haru nodded. "Of course, Mako-chan. After all, you did plenty of saving yourself." She raised the key that now held so much meaning, and gave it a quick kiss.

She laughed when Makoto did the same.

* * *

 _First one down. Hopefully that was soft and/or fluffy enough for you. I feel like Haru is just the literal embodiment of fluff, so it's not too hard to write a story about it. Add Makoto being a blushing mess, and you've got yourself a cute story. Plus, it's kinda like domestic fluff since Makoto is sharing access to her living space with her girlfriend._

 _See you tomorrow!_


	2. Angst-Comforting

Disclaimer: _I do not own anything in the Persona series._

 _Here is the second day of this challenge. I've actually been experiencing some shoulder pain recently, so it was easy to write that part of this story realistically!_

 _Interestingly enough, the new dancing games helped me a lot with this story, because it's apparently cannon that not only is Makoto talented at aikido (which was kind of evident in the main game), but she has apparently won tons of trophies. And evidently, her sister is even better than her, which is slightly terrifying!_

 _Please enjoy this next part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!_

* * *

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

The Healing Touch:

Angst/Comforting

-Haru-

"A toast to our champion!" A cacophony of cheers erupted at this declaration. Glasses were clinked, and a chorus of laughter followed.

"Please." An embarrassed Makoto sat stiffly, her face slightly red. "There's no need to go all out or celebrate. It's just a win."

"A win? Makoto, you just won the whole damn tournament!" Ryuji exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table.

The recently disbanded Phantom Thieves were currently engaging in a party of sorts at the usual hangout space of Leblanc, an unusually cheerful Sae accompanying them. The strategic advisor of the group had participated in an aikido tournament just hours earlier, and she had advanced to the final round before ultimately winning.

Makoto had insisted that it was no big deal, and that she had won plenty of matches and tournaments before, the irony of that statement being a topic of conversation. How could one be modest enough to say it wasn't a big deal before mentioning all of her previous wins in an off-handed way? It seemed that only the student council president could.

Haru knew that Makoto was not falsely boasting either. Having been to her girlfriend's room several times, she had seen firsthand the numerous trophies lined up on her shelves. Completely in character, Makoto had waved away Haru's admiration, though the gardener could tell by her blush that she was flattered by the well-earned compliments.

"Yes, Makoto. This celebration truly is well-deserved." Sae raised a glass at her younger sister, winking at her from across the table.

"See! Even Sae-san thinks it's a big deal!" Ann nudged the embarrassed senior's right side, giggling.

"Th-thanks, Sis," Makoto muttered, tucking some hair back behind her ear.

Sitting on the girl's other side, Haru leaned on her shoulder. "Yes. You truly were remarkable!" She nuzzled into her, conveying just how proud she was of her girlfriend.

What Haru did not expect was for Makoto to growl slightly and pull away. It was subtle enough that no one else saw or heard it, as Haru deftly moved her head away to make it seem like her action had been meant as a quick one, rather than actually settling her head there for a few minutes.

But it concerned Haru. Sure, Makoto did not like public displays of affection, but she was usually comfortable enough to engage in them around her close friends. In fact, the two had even hugged and kissed in front of the others once the initial teasing had died down.

She looked at Makoto to see that she was not looking at her. She… didn't seem embarrassed, but why else would she have pulled away?

"Congratulations, Makoto." Haru lost her train of thought to look up at their leader. Akira appeared as disheveled as always, his black hair askew and his glasses slightly off-kilter. He had been particularly invested in the outcome of the match, seeing that he had used it as a reason to visit.

"Thank you, Akira." The student council president smiled, acknowledging his compliment.

"So now that we've officially gotten Makoto to actually accept some praise, we should have another round!" Futaba jumped up from her spot in the booth, waving at Sojiro. "Another round!"

The owner sighed and shook his head as he walked over with some more drinks for everyone. "You're a bit too excited about ordering this, Futaba. It's not like it's alcohol or anything."

"Ooh! Now that ya mention it, could we get a couple of beers or somethin'? I mean, it's not every day we get to celebrate like this." Ryuji's eyes gleamed.

"Are you sure you'd like to say that in front of a person of the law, Ryuji?" Yusuke asked calmly, his hands folded together on the table in front of him.

The scruffy blonde's head whipped over to said attorney. "I… uh…"

Sae shook her head. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. But no alcohol. Is that understood?"

Morgana hopped up from where he had been on the floor. "Now I see where Makoto learned her behavior from."

The group laughed. Seeing the confusion upon Sojiro's and Sae's faces brought even more laughter.

The gang celebrated in this fashion for another hour before finally calling it quits. Though it was the end of the week, the Phantom Thieves still had one more day of school before a free day, so they couldn't go completely overboard.

After Futaba, Akira, and Sojiro waved the group goodbye, they walked the streets until arriving at the subway station. The group further split up, with Haru, Makoto, and Sae staying together. It had been decided earlier that Haru would spend the night, since the couple had planned a day together once school had ended for the week.

On the way there, Haru continued to notice Makoto's odd behavior. She seemed to be using her right hand for everything, from swiping her subway pass to holding onto the handles of the vehicle. Which, in and of itself, wasn't completely unusual, seeing as the girl was right-handed. But the way that her left arm hung limply at her side, and that she seemed to avoid any and all contact on that side… was strange.

Haru thought back to the tournament, as she hadn't been acting that way before. She had been knocked around throughout the event, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. They had all suffered much worse in the Metaverse, though, that might not exactly compare to real-world injuries.

She'd suffered a particularly nasty fall in the semifinals, but she had recovered and had ultimately won the match. She'd even defeated her opponent in the finals, so clearly, she wasn't seriously injured.

Even so, Haru couldn't help but worry.

The three made small-talk as the subway made its way to their destination. Haru didn't want to worry her girlfriend now, but she did want to discuss her behavior in private. She thought it might be best to have that conversation away from Sae, just in case.

Eventually, the three made it back to the Niijima apartment, where Sae quickly unlocked the door and let them all in.

The girls discarded their bags onto one of the couches in the living room, Haru noticing that Makoto appeared to be moving very slowly and deliberately. It had to be an injury that was making her move like this… right?

Haru looked over at Sae to see if she had noticed, but the woman was currently scrolling through her phone, no doubt doing something work-related.

"I'm going to go change. Haru, I have a set of pajamas for you to use as well. I'll let you change once I'm done." Haru turned her head back towards her girlfriend to see her smiling tightly, almost mechanically. It appeared to be a grimace.

"Okay, Mako-chan. I'll make sure to keep Sae-san company." She winked at Makoto, who chuckled slightly before turning on her heel and heading into her room, closing the door behind her.

"You've seen that she's in pain, I assume?"

Haru jumped slightly at the sudden voice. She looked back at the only other person in the room, and saw Sae giving her an intense look. So, it seemed that she had noticed something off with her sister after all.

Realizing she should give an answer, as Sae was waiting for one, she responded, "I have. I… didn't want to bring it up. She seemed to not want me to even know about it."

The gardener was slightly surprised to see the woman smirk. "That would make sense. Makoto has always been stubborn when it comes to toughing out an injury. Though I have to admit, she really isn't that skilled at covering it up. She practically jumped through the roof when you laid your head on her shoulder."

Haru tilted her head. "You saw that?"

Sae nodded. "I see everything." At that slightly creepy statement, Haru merely stared. Sae shook her head. "Kidding aside, I do notice a lot when it comes to Makoto. My career path, plus her being my little sister gives me an acute awareness of such things." She put a hand to her chin. "I can only assume that being her best friend and girlfriend affords you similar insights."

Haru nodded. Though Sae had accepted her dating her sister rather easily, the woman was still very intense, and Haru was sometimes nervous when it was just the two of them alone. Makoto had a bit of an awkward side, which was one of the reasons Haru liked her so much. Her sister on the other hand, seemed to be constantly serious, with little to no instances of physical or verbal stumbles. To put it simply, Haru was sometimes intimidated by the older woman. She could see why Makoto (in her own words) struggled to live up to her expectations.

There was a moment of silence as the two said nothing. Haru wasn't quite sure what _needed_ to be said, and she quietly hoped that Makoto would finish quickly so that there was a bit of a buffer.

A slight chime rang through the air, and Haru watched as Sae lifted her phone up closer to her face, the device having never left her hand. Her eyes darted around the screen, her expression becoming somewhat serious.

"You'll have to excuse me." Sae picked up her recently discarded bag and slipped her phone into it. "Something's come up that needs to be taken care of tonight."

"Sae-san?"

Sae had made her way to the door, turning at Haru's voice. "I will see you two tomorrow morning." Gripping the door handle and pulling the door open she gave a slight smile. "Please take care of my sister for me. I'm counting on you."

Haru gave a slight gulp, but grinned nonetheless. "I plan to." Sae simply nodded and left, locking the door behind her.

Haru gave a deep sigh, but her smile remained. Though she was nervous about living up to Sae's expectations of her, she felt a rush of pride at having the strict woman trust her so easily with a loved one's care.

"Where'd Sis run off to?"

For the second time that night, Haru jumped at the unexpected voice. She turned around to see Makoto in her pajamas, which featured the round and bubbly face of Buchimaru-kun. Haru thought she looked completely adorable in it, and she enjoyed the fact that Makoto felt comfortable enough around her to dress in it, as the character itself was somewhat childish.

"Oh. She had to run into the office to deal with an important matter." She walked over to the other girl. "She didn't say what it was, but that she'd be back in the morning."

Makoto nodded. "I see. I'd hoped she'd take at least tonight off because of the tournament. She really does work too hard sometimes…" The student council president looked at the closed door, clearly worried about her sister.

Wanting to ease her pain (both mentally and physically), Haru placed a soft hand on Makoto's face. "She'll be fine, Mako-chan. She can definitely take care of herself." Smiling at the way Makoto leaned into her hand, she moved on to the main issue. "But enough about Sae-san. I'm more worried about _you_!"

Makoto gave her a questioning look. "What about me?"

Haru moved her hand from Makoto's face to her left shoulder. Pressing it slightly, she was rewarded with a sharp hiss from the other girl, who quickly stepped back.

Haru did feel bad to cause her girlfriend pain, but she had to prove to Makoto that she _knew_ she was hurting. "The fact that I can't even touch your left shoulder without you wincing in pain."

Makoto chuckled. "Ha. I guess I should've known you'd pick up on that."

"Of course!" Haru nodded. "So now I'm going to take care of you, whether you want me to or not."

The other girl sighed. "It's really nothing. I've had this type of injury before." She rolled her shoulder and winced. "I just need to put some ice on it for a while, and I'll be all set."

"Hm…" Haru looked at Makoto, thinking. She wasn't sure how much of her worry was an overreaction, and how much was valid concern. It didn't help that Makoto was literally attempting to shrug off the injury.

Makoto blushed slightly. "Haru. Y-you're staring quite a bit." She looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"I can't help but be concerned, Mako-chan!" Haru tapped her girlfriend's nose, which caused her to look up, startled. "You're precious to me, so it pains me to see you hurt."

"Ah. Trying to guilt me into letting you take care of me, huh?" Makoto smirked.

Haru gave a slight huff, irritated that Makoto had caught onto what she had been attempting so quickly. "Enough of this!" She darted behind the other girl and began pushing her towards the couch in the living room. "I will make it my mission to heal you!"

Makoto seemed to not expect such a sudden and strong response. She spluttered comically as she forced herself to move, lest Haru inadvertently shove her to the ground. "Haru! Please be careful. I've fallen enough times, tonight."

Now that Makoto was moving, Haru eased up slightly. They made it to the couch, where Haru gave the other girl a light tap on her non-injured shoulder to indicate that she should sit.

As she did so, Haru made her way over to the freezer. "You just get comfortable, Mako-chan. I'll be over with the ice in a moment."

She could hear the grunts of pain from the student council president as she adjusted herself. Though Haru had been overdramatic moments earlier in order to have Makoto accept help, she truly did feel slight pain at the thought of her girlfriend being so uncomfortable.

Having experienced minor injuries in the past with her ballet, Haru knew somewhat how to treat them. She assumed that Makoto merely strained or bruised her shoulder. Had it been something more serious like a dislocation, she would surely have been in much greater pain.

Pulling open a drawer in the freezer, the gardener scooped out some ice and deposited it into a plastic baggie that had been taken from one of the cabinets. Having been over several times before, Haru knew where practically everything was in the kitchen.

She snapped up a dish towel that had been hanging on the freezer handle, wrapping it around the ice bag so that it wouldn't make direct contact with Makoto's skin.

"You've done this before."

Haru looked over to see Makoto watching her, her eyes curious.

She smiled. "Yes. I've dealt with some bruises and sprains in the past." She walked over to Makoto. "I used to practice ballet when I was little."

"That makes sense. You are very graceful." Makoto seemed to think for a moment. "That sounds… familiar. Have you told me that before?"

"I'm not sure." Haru sat down next to her girlfriend. "I don't usually talk about it, but I suppose I could have."

Makoto made to reach for the ice, but Haru pulled back, setting it down behind her. "Ah. _I'm_ going to treat you, remember?"

The other girl gave a confused look. "But you got the ice for me. I can handle putting it on my own shoulder."

"Maybe. But I have another idea." Haru's eyes grew mischievous as she leaned closer.

"U-um…" Makoto stuttered but didn't move away. A slight blush formed on her cheeks.

Smirking, Haru reached up towards Makoto's collar and took hold of the top button. She slowly eased it out of it's hold, her shirt opening up slightly.

"H-Haru!"

"Yes, Mako-chan?" Haru asked innocently, halting her progress.

"W-what exactly are you doing?" Haru moved her focus away from the girl's shirt towards her face, which was now extremely red.

"Unbuttoning your shirt?" Haru said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"B-but why?"

"So that I can place the ice on your bare shoulder of course!" Haru smiled, enjoying how easily her girlfriend was flustered.

"Oh."

It was such a short and simple response, with a hint of disappointment, that Haru couldn't help but tease her further. "Why, Mako-chan? Were you expecting something else?"

"N-no!"

Haru clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. "Mako-chan. I can't believe where your mind went. I'm just helping my girlfriend feel better."

Makoto's face somehow got even redder. "I-I… I mean… clearly you were…"

Haru giggled. "I was what?"

"N-nothing." Haru was slightly disappointed to see Makoto give up so easily, but she could always tease her later.

She returned to unbuttoning the next few buttons, enough to be able to pull the shirt aside and expose Makoto's shoulder, but not enough to see anything else. As she pulled the shirt away, she murmured, "Perhaps if you're feeling better later, we can finish what you started in your mind. Unless, of course, it was nothing." Haru leaned forward and placed a few gentle kisses on her shoulder.

After she had finished, Haru looked up to see Makoto nodding her head slowly. "I… think I'd like that, Haru."

The gardener smiled. "Good!" Reaching behind herself, she lifted the ice bag and hovered it over Makoto's shoulder. "Now, I'm going to place the ice here. Let me know if it hurts, okay?"

Makoto nodded again.

Haru slowly draped the bag over Makoto's shoulder, a slight tremor running through the other girl. "Easy now…" Haru whispered soothingly.

Once it had been placed, Haru gave Makoto's lips a quick peck before pulling back. "That should do it." She looked at Makoto. "How are you feeling?"

The student council president sighed. "Better. It's stiff, but the ice is helping with the swelling."

"I'm glad." Haru leaned back into the couch, taking hold of Makoto's hand. "Now how exactly did you get this injury? Was it when you were thrown in the semifinals?"

Makoto shrugged, which caused her to wince. "I suppose. To be honest…"

"Hm?" Haru squeezed her hand, subtly encouraging her to continue.

"Well… I had hurt it a bit during practice yesterday. Training gone wrong," she joked, chuckling. "Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling stiff, but I figured it would clear up. That throw in the semifinals exacerbated it, and by the time I reached the finals… I wasn't sure if I'd make it."

"Mako-chan…" Haru leaned over and gave her another kiss, this one a little more passionate. Pulling back, she continued in a worried tone, "Why didn't you withdraw from the tournament? The worst thing you can do when you're injured is exercise it more."

"I…" Makoto sighed. "I didn't want to quit. I mean… Akira made the journey all the way from his hometown to watch. And Sis took off work early, even if she just went back tonight. And…" She trailed off, looking away.

"And…?" Haru wasn't going to let her girlfriend not speak her mind.

"And you were going to be there, cheering me on." Makoto looked back, her eyes slightly teary. "I didn't want to disappoint you. I… wanted to _impress_ you. You've seen all the trophies I have, and how hard I fought back when we were Phantom Thieves. I… didn't want to… be weak in front you. I wanted to prove to you that I can protect you!"

Haru was shocked at her unexpected emotional outburst. The two had just been kidding around moments before. She had no idea how important this particular tournament had been for her girlfriend. And what exactly did she mean about protecting her? Surely, now that their Metaverse days were over, there wasn't anything to protect her from? "Makoto. I would _never_ be disappointed in you. Ever." She squeezed her hand. "And… what would you be protecting me from?"

Makoto sighed. "It's… hard to explain. I don't understand it fully myself. But," she squeezed Haru's hand, "ever since… my father… died… I swore that I'd protect my loved ones with everything that I had. I couldn't… bear to lose anyone else. That's why I trained so hard, every day." A tear escaped from her eye, slowly rolling down her cheek. "I practiced aikido, I studied law, anything to be able to prevent criminals from hurting others."

Haru's heart ached from the anguish that her girlfriend was now expressing. "Makoto…"

"If anything happened to Sis, or to _you_ …" Makoto gave a small sniff. "I don't know what I'd do. And as for what I'd be protecting you from… you're the heiress to one of the most successful fast-food chains in the world. There could be any number of people who would try to harm you for any number of reasons."

Haru sighed. That was a fact she knew all too well. Being in the public eye like she was meant that she received all kinds of attention, most of it good, but some of it terrible. There were many people who still hadn't forgiven her father for his lapses in workplace safety, and that ill will had transferred over to her. So far, no attempts had been made on her life, but she knew that could change at any time.

"Makoto… I don't want to tell you that there's nothing to worry about, because you're right. But," Haru reached out a hand and cupped her girlfriend's cheek, stroking it with gently with her thumb, "I _know_ that you'll protect me. Even if you lose a match every once in a while, I've seen how hard you work every day." She wiped away another tear that had been on Makoto's face. "You don't have to be perfect. You're amazing just as you are."

"Haru…" Makoto sniffed again, attempting to regain her composure.

"There's no one I trust more. And besides," she decided to throw in a joke to lighten the mood slightly, "I _am_ a Phantom Thief! Even if I don't have powers anymore, I can still hit back!"

"True enough, Haru." Makoto smiled. "I apologize for losing myself for a moment. Perhaps… this injury is bothering me more than I thought." She reached up and shifted the ice pack.

"Makoto. You're allowed to express your feelings. Honestly, it makes me feel good to know that you trust me enough to talk about your insecurities." Haru gave Makoto's face a light pat before returning her hand back to the other girl's intertwining their fingers together.

"Thank you, Haru. I'll try to do so in the future." Makoto's face fell. "And… I apologize for bringing up my father. I know… the pain is still fresh for you."

Haru winced. Her girlfriend was right once again. She'd avoided really thinking about it due to her concern for Makoto, but now that she had pointed it out, it was difficult to ignore the throbbing pain in her chest that surfaced whenever she thought about her late father.

"It… does still sting, it's true. But… it's starting to sting less and less, as time goes on." Haru felt a tear drop from her own eyes. "Perhaps we're both hurting more than we're letting on."

Haru was surprised to find Makoto's lips on her own. The two kissed for a brief moment before the latter pulled away. "Even so, it's a comfort to know that we're each here for the other to lean on. Time heals all wounds, as they say, but having someone to empathize with… heals a great deal more. So, thank you again, Haru. For healing both my physical and emotional wounds." Makoto squeezed her hand.

Haru nodded. "You're welcome. And thank _you_ as well."

The two smiled at each other, enjoying the deep feelings that had resulted from this conversation.

Deeming that they'd had enough of this type of talk for one evening, Haru decided to switch gears. "Now then. While it's been very nice talking through our problems, I believe that we had something else in store for tonight?" Her eyes twinkled.

Makoto tilted her head. "Did we?"

Haru leaned forward, removing the ice bag from Makoto's shoulder. "Something like this, perhaps?" She moved her lips to the girl's exposed shoulder, kissing her gently as she had before. This time, though, it seemed to have a much more profound effect on her girlfriend.

The gardener could feel Makoto jolt. "I-I thought that was going to be later?"

Haru raised her head, smirking at the other girl. "It's been a few minutes. I believe that constitutes as later."

Makoto wearily shook her head. "After the tournament and our conversation… I honestly don't think I have enough energy."

Haru giggled. "Fair enough. My exhaustion's catching up to me as well." She gave one last kiss to her shoulder before beginning to button up the student council president's shirt. "Besides, I don't want to make your injury even worse."

"Hm…"

Haru gave a quick peck to Makoto's cheek. "I'll go change, and then we can simply go to bed. How does that sound?"

Makoto smiled warmly at her. "Perfect."

* * *

 _There we go! I do not claim to know more than some basics of aikido, so if there are any mistakes/misconceptions, I do apologize. Hopefully, the rest of the story (especially the angst/comforting parts) will make up for it!_

 _The tournament that Makoto participated in here is based off of Toshu Randori of the Tomiki style, though there are many other forms. From what I researched, aikido is not really supposed to be used for a traditional "competition", but more so a demonstration of principles in a controlled environment. But I stretched the purpose just a little bit so that Makoto could be feasibly hurt outside of practice._

 _Also, for those who have played Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, the conversation in this story that Haru and Makoto have about Makoto wondering whether or not Haru told her about ballet stems from the fact that what happens in that dreamworld is forgotten by everyone when they wake up. I headcannon that they remember it on a subconscious level, hence the déjà vu feeling they experience here._

 _Hope you enjoyed, and see you tomorrow!_


	3. Metaverse

Disclaimer: _I do not own anything in the Persona series._

 _I had this idea in mind for a while, but for all of the Phantom Thieves. Might as well use it here, right?_

 _Please enjoy this next part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!_

* * *

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

Driving Lessons:

Metaverse

-Makoto-

The student council president knew that she was the only member of the Phantom Thieves who could drive. Akira could if needed, of course, but all in all, she was the only member with real-life experience.

So, it was inevitable that one day, someone in her group of friends would ask her for lessons. The skill wasn't strictly needed in a crowded city, where subways were the main method of transportation, but it was nice to have it as an option.

When her energetic girlfriend had approached her and asked her for a lesson, Makoto had obliged. Surely, Haru would be one of the easier friends to teach, seeing as she could keep calm and wasn't easily frustrated. Other than Akira, she was probably the best for this type of situation.

After a brief discussion, the two decided to take a test drive in Morgana, since there were a lot of open spaces in Mementos, and they didn't have to worry about getting fatally wounded in case of an accident. Sure, Haru had crashed Morgana when the rest of the Phantom Thieves had been chasing them, but that was most likely due to the novelty of the situation, as well as the fact that everyone was flustered. It wasn't likely for that to happen again.

How wrong she had been.

"Noir! Ease on the – wait, WAIT!" Makoto screamed, pumping the invisible break that was all-too familiar with those who taught others how to drive.

"What's that, Queen? Should I slow down?" Haru shouted to be heard above the roar of the engine, which was almost deafening.

"Yes!" Came the instant reply.

Makoto sighed as the engine quieted, and Morgana began to go at a much more reasonable speed. It wasn't too long before the entire vehicle stopped completely.

"Geez, Noir! Take it easy! All this speeding is making my paws sore!" Morgana's voice emanated from the bus, his annoyance obvious.

"Sorry, Mona-chan! I was just having such a great time. It's exhilarating to travel so quickly! I can see why Queen likes it." The masked girl turned towards her companion, smiling brightly at her.

The student council president smiled back weakly. "True, but that's mostly when I'm on Johanna. Or if we're in a life-or-death situation in a Palace." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "We can go a little bit slower here, though."

Haru sighed. "That's too bad. But you're the boss, Queen!" She brightened, eager to continue the training.

Morgana snickered. "Isn't it kinda funny that Noir has been pupils under both you and me?"

Makoto nodded. "I suppose that's true, but she's taught the both of us plenty as well."

"Mhm. Though I think some of the lessons we've gone over might be a little too advanced for Mona-chan's ears." Haru looked over at Makoto with a twinkle in her eye, obviously implying some of the other… activities the two had engaged in.

The other girl coughed, reddening slightly. "P-perhaps."

"Huh? Like what? I'm plenty advanced enough to understand!" Clearly, Morgana had not understood the double-entendre.

"M-Mona. U-um…" Makoto trailed off, not sure how to change the topic. She knew that Morgana was persistent with many things, especially if they had to do with measuring his maturity or intelligence.

"Sorry, Mona-chan! It's for girls only." She winked at Makoto, whose blush deepened.

Morgana gave a confused meow. "What do you mean?"

Makoto decided to say something. "We'll… tell you when you're older?" She gave a questioning look at Haru, who giggled.

"I'm plenty old enough –! Oh!" Morgana suddenly grew quiet. After a minute, he replied softly, "Nevermind."

As Haru continued to giggle and Makoto continued to blush a deeper shade of red at being found out, Morgana shouted, "Is that why you two wanted to be alone for this? I-I'm not comfortable being here if that's what you two are gonna do!"

At this, Makoto squeaked and buried her face into her hands, too embarrassed to say anything. Luckily, Haru had her back.

"Nothing of the sort, Mona-chan! We figured that it would be easier to train one-on-one, without judgement from the others." Makoto felt Haru stroke the top of her head gently with her gloved hand, which soothed her somewhat. "I promise you, there are no ulterior motives for being here. I was just teasing the both of you."

"If you're sure…" Morgana trailed off, unconvinced.

"A-anyway!" Makoto snapped her head up, her face back to its usual shade. She saw that Haru was still looking at her with mirth. "Enough of this! I'm not leaving here until I'm confident that Noir can drive without killing any pedestrians."

"So it's okay if she just maims or seriously injures them?" Morgana quipped.

Makoto barked out a laugh at her girlfriend's scandalized face, relishing in this small form of payback. "Well, it's not ideal, but that is where the bar is currently set, yes."

"You two are both cruel!" Haru pouted, pulling her hat down slightly to shield her eyes.

"You did start this, Noir." Makoto smirked, grabbing a hold of the hand Haru had used. She waited until the other girl had looked up at her before raising her hand to her lips. "But I apologize for upsetting you." She kissed Haru's knuckles, squeezing her hand slightly.

"You two are so sickeningly-sweet that I'm gonna hurl!" Morgana chimed in, making gagging noises.

"Interesting." Makoto gave Haru's hand one last squeeze before letting go. "You sound much the same when speaking with Panther. Perhaps we could give you some of the more intermediate lessons to help?"

There was a silence as the cat seriously considered Makoto's offer.

"N-no thanks!" Morgana finally exclaimed. "Lady Ann would never fall for such cheesy lines and awkward gestures. I'm gonna woo her in the coolest and most gentlemanly way possible!"

"Cheesy lines?" Haru looked at the other girl.

"Awkward gestures?" Makoto looked back.

Morgana laughed. "You two really aren't as cool as you think you are."

Makoto snorted. "I think we're getting a little off topic here. Let's focus back on driving." She turned towards Haru. "Ready, Noir?"

The gardener beamed back at her. "Ready!"

Morgana moaned. "Man! And my paws were just starting to feel better, too."

Makoto rubbed the dashboard. "Don't worry, Mona. This time will be a lot better, you'll see." She looked at Noir. "Now this time, ease on the gas. You almost never actually have to push the pedal all the way to the floor."

"Understood." Haru placed her hands on the wheel and gently pushed on the gas. The bus started to move.

"Perfect!" Makoto leaned back in her seat, feeling confident that her girlfriend had this. "Okay, once you've got a feel for that speed, press a little more and we'll go faster. It's bad for a vehicle's engine to go from a dead-stop to as fast as possible in seconds. It's much better to go gradually, for the passengers as well."

"Mhm." Makoto watched as Haru became extremely focused on the road in front of her. Luckily, they had chosen one of the upper floors in Mementos, so most of the Shadows that they would encounter would simply screech and run away in fear, thus providing a relatively open path.

Eventually, Morgana was going at a generally fast pace, but nothing like they had been at before. Makoto looked ahead and saw that a curve in the road was approaching.

"Noir. See that curve coming up?"

Makoto had noticed that Haru had fallen into one of the traps that many novice drivers succumbed to. The other girl's gaze had been strictly focused on the road right in front of her, and she hadn't looked ahead for quite some time. The student council president knew she probably hadn't noticed.

Haru looked over at her girlfriend with a start. "No, I hadn't." Her eyes went back to the road. "Thanks for letting me know, Queen!"

Makoto smiled.

However, her smile quickly turned into a concerned frown as she realized that Haru was not slowing down as she approached.

"N-Noir –!"

"Whoa!"

The entire vehicle shuddered as Haru wildly turned the wheel to the right. Luckily, they didn't have a full-on collision with the wall, but at the speed they were going, it had been impossible to avoid it completely. Morgana growled as his side scrapped against the structure, which caused some sparks to fly out.

"Oh! Sorry, Mona-chan!" Haru stopped the bus again, petting the dashboard in front of her sheepishly.

"What did I do to deserve this treatment?" Morgana moaned dramatically.

"This might take longer than I thought…"

"Oh you two! No need to be so dramatic." Haru giggled as she returned to her driving position.

"You're really getting a kick out of torturing us like this, aren't you?" Morgana sighed.

"Don't worry, Mona. I'll patch you right up." Makoto unbuckled herself from her seat and exited, grabbing some of the medicine they had brought with them. She walked around to the side where the impact had occurred, and saw that it looked rather raw.

"This will only take a minute." She uncapped the container and took some of the gel in her hand. Raising it to the damaged surface, she began to rub the substance into the wound, which began to heal.

"Ahhh. Thanks, Queen!" Morgana purred, the gentle sound combining with the regular thrumming of an idle engine.

The student council president looked up at the sound of Haru's giggle. She saw that the other girl was currently leaning out the open window, her arms crossed and head resting on them. "You're a lifesaver!"

Makoto chuckled. "I appreciate the compliments, but I'm only doing my job as the Phantom Thieves' strategic advisor. Someone has to look out for the others, after all."

After a few more applications of the medicine, Makoto capped the container and inspected her work. It seemed much more healed than when it was hurriedly splattered onto a wound in the heat of battle, so she was satisfied.

As she turned to walk back towards the passenger's side, Makoto swore she had heard something. It had been faint, but one could never be too careful in Mementos. She paused. And then she heard it again.

The sound of rattling chains.

All at once, Makoto's face drained of color, and she dropped the medicine that she had been holding. It wasn't going to do them any good now.

"Man, Queen! You sure are clumsy." Morgana laughed, and Haru joined him. So, it seemed that the two of them had no idea of the gravity of the situation.

"Noir!" Makoto banged on the driver's door, ignoring the yelps of protest from the cat. "Let me drive immediately!

Haru's eyes widened in surprise. "Q-Queen? I know I'm not that good, but what's gotten into you all of a –?"

"Listen!" Makoto silenced her girlfriend by holding a finger up to her own lips. There were a few moments where no one said anything, and the only sound was that of Morgana's engine.

Then, the sound of rattling chains repeated.

Judging by the look of fear that crossed Haru's face, Makoto confirmed that she had heard it too. "Is that…?"

"The Reaper!" Both girls looked at Morgana, whose engine suddenly roared to life. "Get in, Queen! The three of us are no match for it!"

"Right!" She opened up the driver's door. "Noir, switch with me. We'll need someone to hold it off while I get us out of here."

The student council president watched as Haru nodded her head. Leaping gracefully out of the bus, she unsheathed her grenade launcher from her hip as she sprinted over towards the other side.

Makoto jumped in, slamming the door shut and preparing the vehicle to move. Once Haru situated herself next to her, Makoto slammed her foot on the gas, doing what she had just warned Haru previously against doing.

Morgana began to speed forward.

"I've got him, Queen!" Makoto glanced to her right to see that Haru had half of her body leaning outside the passenger window, her grenade launcher trained on what was behind them. There was a loud "boom", and Haru jerked back slightly due to the recoil.

There was a screech behind them, and Makoto realized smugly that her girlfriend had hit her mark. "Nice going, Noir!"

Makoto had barely finished her sentence before another loud "boom" resonated, along with another high-pitched wail.

"Ah! It's such a thrill to hear them squeal in pain!" Makoto gave a sideways look at Haru, and saw that her eyes were shining in excitement. She knew that her girlfriend had a more… sadistic side, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking to see it manifest.

Although, she would be lying if she said that it wasn't a little bit of a turn-on to see her girlfriend so passionate.

Heart beating faster, Makoto focused back on the road in front of her. "Alright. We're coming up on another curve. We should be able to lose it here. Get ready, Noir!" Her knuckles white under her gloves, Makoto gripped the wheel tightly as she turned, feeling Morgana lift up onto two wheels.

"Ha!" Another "boom", followed by a screech, and then, the bus had completed its turn. Luckily, the three of them had arrived at a safe location, so Makoto quickly pulled over and stopped the bus, leaning heavily on the wheel as she attempted to get her breath back.

"You two okay?" Morgana panted.

Makoto nodded. "Yes. Thanks for getting us out of there, Mona."

She looked over at Haru, and saw that her eyes were still gleaming. She was looking behind her, though when Makoto followed her gaze, there was nothing there.

Reaching out a hand, Makoto asked, "Um… Noir?"

The gardener suddenly turned towards her, grenade launcher and all, and exclaimed, "How fun! That was so _intense_ , Queen! When can we do it again?"

"Whoa! Gun away from my face, please!" Makoto shoved the implement away, not fond of having a weapon explode in her general vicinity.

"Whoops! Sorry about that!" Haru holstered her weapon. Looking back at Makoto, she murmured, "I really did enjoy that, though." Her eyes focused in on her girlfriend's as she leaned forward slightly.

"Noir…" Makoto found that she was moving towards the other girl as well. Before too long, her eyes closed as the two of their lips met in a gentle bump.

"Nuh-uh! You two promised me, remember? No extracurricular activities in the Phantom Thieves bus!" Makoto jumped back in shock, shaking her head slightly at the trance that Haru had seemed to put her under.

The student council president looked over at Haru to see what her reaction had been. She was smiling at Makoto, her eyes shining in a more normal (and less sadistic) light. Giggling, she said, "You're right, Mona-chan. But when Queen starts barking out orders, I can't help myself!"

"Wha –?"

"And, if we're being honest, once Noir starts destroying everything in her path…" Makoto gulped. "She… really takes my breath away."

There was a moment of silence as the two continued to look at each other. Makoto found herself slowly copying Haru's content grin.

"Well," Morgana quipped, "I think I've learned entirely too much about both of your… preferences. And Noir has learned almost nothing about driving."

"So, all in all, a pretty successful afternoon, wouldn't you say?" Haru winked at the other girl, who chuckled.

"You two…" Morgana sighed as the two girls laughed.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed! Since both girls are somewhat… I dunno exactly how to describe it? Intense? It was entertaining to see how they can both be extreme, but still be attracted to the other one's ferocity._

 _And if you are working on getting your driver's license, don't worry! At least you won't have the Reaper chasing after you on your driving test!_

 _See you tomorrow!_


	4. AU of Choice

Disclaimer: _I do not own anything in the Persona series._

 _This story took me the longest to think up. AU stories are fun because they can literally go in any direction, but that's also what makes them so difficult to write. I went back and forth for a while, but I eventually settled on having the two of them in the Pokémon universe, because I love Pokémon!_

 _Technically, there are multiple universes within the Pokémon universe (ie Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), but there isn't really a set universe or time period this story is set in, though if you have played Gold or Silver (or Heart Gold or Soul Silver), you might recognize one part of this plot. It's mostly so I can have my two favorite characters have Pokémon!_

 _Plus, I hope you like the pun I used for the title of the story. It should become apparent as you read it._

 _Please enjoy this next part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!_

* * *

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

Ship:

AU of Choice

-Makoto-

There was a cool and crisp breeze that passed by as the S.S. Aqua began its departure from Vermillion City's port. Wingulls cawed as the ship set sail, and the sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was around midday.

Makoto Niijima was currently standing on the deck, a few feet back from the railing. She looked out at the open expanse of sea stretched out in front of her, and took a deep breath. Being that she was stationed in the city of Goldenrod meant that there were rare opportunities for her to take in air that wasn't somewhat polluted, so she truly appreciated these moments.

A bark to her right caused her to look to her side. As always, there stood her trusty Growlithe, Johanna, who seemed to be smiling up at her. She grinned back, bending down to pat her head lightly. "Good girl."

The dog Pokémon nuzzled her head into her palm, desiring more attention from the young woman. Makoto couldn't help but oblige. Since the two weren't technically on duty at the moment, Makoto could afford to let her guard down slightly and shed her professional image. To all the world, the sight of the Trainer and Pokémon seemed more like traveling buddies, rather than a police officer and her highly-skilled companion.

After a few minutes, Johanna seemed to have her fill of attention, and she curled up next to Makoto's feet, laying her head down on her paws. It seemed like the Pokémon was going to take a nap.

Makoto couldn't blame her. The two had just ended a week-long manhunt the day before yesterday, and they were exhausted. The criminal had stolen a part from the Kanto Power Plant, and had travelled across said region attempting to escape capture.

It had seemed that the man had no plans other than to disrupt the daily life of those in the area, but he had been difficult to catch. Fortunately, Makoto's sister Sae lived in Celadon City and had led the hunt for him. She'd called in forces from both Kanto and Johto for assistance, and, seeing as Sae was her sister, Makoto had requested to be sent to help her out.

When he was finally captured, he had given in rather easily and without a fight. It seemed that he was a remnant of Team Rocket, the team that had been disbanded a few years prior. They still cropped up from time to time, but ever since their leader had abandoned them, they could never quite recover the strength and influence they had once had.

Makoto and her Growlithe had stayed with Sae for a day to recuperate, but the two were now headed home. Sae had let her know that, because of the delay in services of the Magnet Train from Saffron City to Goldenrod City due to the power outage, there were huge lines and she would therefore not be able to return home that way for the next few days.

However, there was space on the S.S. Aqua, and Makoto preferred to travel this way anyway. Plus, she would have to take a day to travel from Olivine City back to her home, so she'd have a plausible excuse for a day off.

She turned her head towards the sunlight and closed her eyes, loving the feeling of warmth on her skin. It would take a couple hours to reach Olivine, and Makoto decided to relax as much as she could in the meantime.

She remained this way for a few minutes before registering something over the caws of the seagull Pokémon.

A very heavy and very weary sigh.

Makoto turned her head to the side to see a young woman to her left, currently leaning on the railing and looking as exhausted as Makoto felt. She also seemed somewhat troubled.

The officer looked down at Johanna. Though her eyes were closed, her ear was perked up in the direction of the other woman, and it seemed that she had heard her as well.

Makoto decided that she should go over and offer this woman support. Even though she was off duty, a police officer was still responsible to ensure the safety and happiness of citizens. Plus, she figured it could be a way to pass the time without accidently falling asleep and tumbling overboard.

She clicked her tongue at Johanna, who instantly jumped up and looked at her with an alert expression. Makoto nodded and tilted her head towards the woman, who still seemed to not have noticed the attention she had drawn. Johanna gave a short bark and trotted over, Makoto walking next to her.

Stopping a few feet away, Makoto spoke in a low and quiet tone to avoid scaring the woman. "Excuse me, miss?"

The woman turned her head sharply, which caused the soft brown curls of her hair to bounce slightly. She appeared to give Makoto a quick once-over before meeting her eyes and giving a polite smile. "Yes?"

Makoto gave a warm smile, wanting to make sure this woman was comfortable. She'd been told in the past that her demeanor was quite severe, and Makoto had therefore perfected this smile to put others at ease. It seemed to work.

"I couldn't help but notice you seemed somewhat troubled. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Makoto wasn't sure, but the other woman seemed embarrassed. Perhaps she hadn't meant to broadcast her feelings quite so publicly. Makoto could understand that.

"That's very kind of you, but I am fine, I assure you." Her smile continued to remain polite, and it didn't look like it was very sincere.

"Pardon me for prying, but it seems that you are the opposite of fine." Makoto looked at the other woman's body language. Her arms were still crossed on the railing, and her hands seemed to be clutched in fists. Perhaps she was a shy person and didn't like talking to strangers, but the way her words were measured indicated that she was someone who was in a profession that required speaking to many people.

The woman smiled wryly. "It's fine. I appreciate the concern." She looked down and noticed the Growlithe next to Makoto. "Ah! What a cutie!" Her eyes lit up, and her smile now seemed genuine. She looked back up at Makoto. "May I pet your Growlithe?"

Makoto was glad that at least her partner was able to cheer this woman up. She nodded. "Of course. She's very friendly."

Makoto watched as the woman knelt down and lifted a gentle hand up to Growlithe's nose. The Pokémon slowly sniffed, eventually giving her fingers a lick. She giggled as she pat her head, moving her hand around to scratch behind her ears. "She's got a lovely temperament. Does she have a name?"

"Johanna," Makoto replied, grinning as said Pokemon's tail began to wag in apparent bliss.

"That's a beautiful name." The woman gave the Growlithe one last pat before she stood back up, now fully facing the two of them. "Ah, my apologies. I asked your Pokemon's name before yours, and even before giving you my own." She held out the hand she had just been using to pet Johanna. "My name is Haru."

Makoto reached out and gripped Haru's hand tightly. "Makoto. It's a pleasure to meet you, Haru."

"Likewise." Haru shook her hand once before letting go. She seemed to be in a better mood than before.

"So, Haru. Perhaps you'd like to talk with me for a while?" She indicated the sea outstretched before them. "It'll be a few hours before we arrive in Olivine."

Makoto was pleased when Haru nodded, leaning back over the railing. The officer settled in place next to her, with Johanna leaping up on Makoto's other side. "Watch your balance," she warned. Johanna simply barked and gave her face a quick lick, which caused her owner to laugh.

Makoto looked over at Haru to see her watching the two of them with mirth. Whatever previous grievances she had been dealing with seemed to have floated away with the tide. When the other woman noticed Makoto staring at her, she blushed slightly and gave a slight cough.

"S-so. What brings you on the S.S. Aqua, Makoto?" Haru inquired.

"I've just come back from an operation in Celadon City. I'm returning to Goldenrod now, since that's where I'm normally stationed." Though the details of the mission were not exactly classified, Makoto didn't want to give them out to a woman she had just met.

"I see!" Haru's eyes widened. Looking at Johanna, she exclaimed, "I should have known that I was talking to a police officer when I saw your Growlithe." She gave Makoto another once-over. "I'm surprised you're not in uniform."

Makoto grinned. "Yes, well, now that I've finished what I needed to, I'm on a bit of a vacation of sorts." A bark caused her to add, " _We're_ on a vacation."

"Ah." Haru nodded her understanding.

"How about you? Are you travelling for business or pleasure?" Now that Makoto was getting into the groove of this conversation, she had to admit she was genuinely curious as to who this woman was and what she was doing.

"Business." Haru folded her hands together. "I'm actually returning from a meeting in Saffron City."

"Understood." Makoto cocked her head at the strange expression Haru was giving her. "Is something the matter?"

"No. Not particularly. Your response just seemed… a little robotic." She flushed. "I'm sorry, that was a bit rude of me to say…"

Makoto chuckled. It seemed her training was showing through even though she was in "civilian" mode. "No worries. I sometimes can't help myself." Seeing that Haru had retreated slightly, she continued in a calmer tone, "What was the meeting about, if you don't mind my asking?"

Haru gave Makoto a hard look. It seemed like she was thinking deeply about… something.

Sensing her unease, Makoto added, "You certainly don't have to go into any detail if you don't want to."

"No. I… just don't want to broadcast who I am to the world. But you seem trustworthy, Makoto." She smiled. "My full name is Haru Okumura."

Makoto's eyes widened just as Haru's had – that name was definitely important. "Okumura? Are you possibly related to Kunikazu Okumura?"

Haru's expression seemed to sag slightly. "Yes. I'm his daughter."

Makoto got the feeling that she had been asked about her father many times in her life, which explained her initial reluctance. Internally, she cursed herself for following the same trend. Before she could correct her mistake, Haru continued.

"As you probably know, my father is the VP of Sales at Silph Co. I was attending a meeting at their headquarters in regards to a new product we've been testing." She smiled ruefully. "I work at a branch office in Goldenrod, but this was extremely important, so I had to make the journey all the way to headquarters."

Makoto tilted her head. "You _had_ to make the journey?"

Haru nodded. "I'm… not on the best terms with my father." She looked out at the sea. "I love him of course, but he can be rather difficult to get along with. We… disagree on how to run our respective departments. So I'm usually just… tired after meeting with him."

"I see." Makoto couldn't exactly relate. Her father was a police officer, just like herself and her sister, and they were on very good terms. He had stopped by and visited just the other day when Makoto had been relaxing at her sister's place.

"But it's nothing, really. The meeting was a success, and we should be able to distribute our new product in the market within the next few months." Haru turned and looked at Makoto, a small smile on her face.

"May I ask what this mystery product is?" Makoto was genuinely curious.

"You certainly can, but I can't tell you." Haru gave a sly grin and winked at her.

Makoto scoffed. Even though she really had no right to the information, Haru's rebuttal surprised her slightly since she had been so forthcoming. "No?"

Haru's eyes sparkled. Moving her hand from where it had rested on the railing, she placed it onto one of Makoto's own. "No offense, Makoto, but I don't know you well enough to divulge such important information."

Makoto flushed slightly. Haru seemed to be the touchy-feely type, which Makoto was not accustomed to. But she had to admit, Haru's warm hand on her own felt… nice. "Well then, perhaps we should get to know each other better." She surprised herself with how bold she was being.

Haru smiled, almost like Makoto had guessed correctly in a game, or had followed a script that she had devised for the officer. "I'd like that."

The two looked into each other's eyes, and Makoto couldn't help but think how… gentle and kind the other woman's were. She had initially come over to help Haru feel better, but now Makoto felt a bit more invested.

Haru broke the eye contact and looked over at Johanna, who had witnessed the entire exchange. "How about it, Johanna? Would you mind if I got to know your Trainer better?"

The Growlithe barked, wriggling around as much as was possible on a precarious railing.

"I can introduce you to my Pokémon as well. My Mona-chan would be thrilled to meet you both!"

"And what type of Pokémon is this Mona-chan?" Makoto couldn't help but think how cute that name was. Almost as cute as the Pokémon's owner.

"He's a Meowth, but he gets a little seasick, which is why I don't have him out now." Haru used her free hand to fiddle with the Pokéball attached on her belt. "He's a cat Pokémon, but he's a huge sweetie and will play with anyone."

"I look forward to meeting him." Makoto turned her hand slightly so that she could give Haru's a squeeze. "And I look forward to getting to know _you_ better." She smiled.

Haru blushed. "As do I." She met Makoto's eyes. "And forgive me if I'm being a bit too forward, but I'd very much like to see you in uniform sometime."

Makoto coughed, a blush rising up onto her own face. "I-I see. Well then, I'd be happy to oblige." She gave a mock salute. "Makoto Niijima, at your service."

"Niijima?" Makoto felt Haru squeeze her hand.

"Yes?" Makoto wasn't quite sure why her surname had affected the other woman so much.

"The Niijima name is well-known in my family." She giggled. "This seems a bit too coincidental, but my father had considered hiring one of them to be his personal bodyguard. I believe he's the police chief in Saffron City."

Makoto chuckled. "That's my father."

"Interesting." Haru rubbed Makoto's hand with her thumb. "So then I suppose I should ask you if you'd like to be _my_ bodyguard." She laughed.

"I appreciate the offer, but I will have to decline." Makoto smiled. "I'd like to get to know you on a more personal level."

Haru smiled at Makoto warmly. "Then I suppose my trip was both business _and_ pleasure."

Makoto laughed nervously. "You really are very forward, Haru."

"Then allow me to make one more advance." Haru leaned forward and gave Makoto a quick peck on the cheek. It was fleeting, but for Makoto, it was everything. Her heart picked up in pace, and she felt a bit lightheaded.

"Y-you know, since we're both travelling to Goldenrod, it would be my honor to escort you back." Makoto rubbed the spot on her face where Haru had kissed her.

Haru giggled. "Sounds like a plan."

Growlithe gave a happy bark of approval, which caused the two women to laugh, a sea breeze ruffling their hair.

* * *

 _Done! Since this was an AU, I also made it so that both of their fathers were alive because they deserve to be happy, damnit!_

 _Hopefully, you don't need to have an extensive knowledge of Pokémon to be able to understand most of this – the cuteness should shine through regardless!_

 _Also, since they were on a ship, and Okujima is a ship name, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make the pun! But speaking of Okujima, when I wrote the part where Haru reveals her full name, I literally wrote "Haru Okujima". I went on typing for a few minutes before it hit me, and I went back and corrected it. I feel like their ship name could be an actual Japanese surname!_

 _Bonus - I also just caught a Shiny Wailmer in Pokemon Go, so this story apparently gave me good luck!_

 _See you tomorrow!_


	5. Coffee

Disclaimer: _I do not own anything in the Persona series._

 _Today's prompt is coffee, so feel free to enjoy a cup as you read this!_

 _I thought of several different directions for this story to take. Originally, the two of them were going to drink expensive coffee made from the poop of certain animals (like Haru and Akira did in the game), but I decided not to. I decided against it mostly because some of the animals are mistreated in order to obtain the coffee, but also because I didn't want this story to be a cut-and-paste of that particular social link event._

 _Instead, I literally just Googled "Coffee and goats" (because I love goats and my mind was wandering) and I found an ancient story that had to do with coffee and goats. So, that is how this one-shot came to be._

 _Please enjoy this next part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!_

* * *

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

Dancing Goats:

Coffee

-Haru-

It was a Sunday afternoon, and it was a particularly cold one at that.

The Phantom Thieves had nothing planned for today, so Haru had decided to invite her girlfriend over to her place to try some of the coffee beans she had been perfecting. The student council president had accepted, considering it a welcome distraction from the stress of the Metaverse and managing her responsibilities at school.

Plus, spending time with each other was always an added bonus.

Haru had been pouring out the coffee into two cups when she heard a knock on her door. Glancing up at a clock on the kitchen wall, Haru grinned. It seemed that her punctual girlfriend was, as usual, right on time.

Wiping her hands on the front of her skirt, the gardener walked over to the front door and opened it, taking in the sight of a smiling Makoto, whose eyes seemed to brighten once they made contact with Haru's own.

"Good afternoon, Haru!" Makoto gave a small wave. "Thank you again for inviting me."

Haru returned her smile. "Of course, Mako-chan! I'm excited to finally have you over at my place. Honestly, I'm not sure why this hasn't happened sooner." Taking the initiative, Haru leaned forward and wrapped her arms tightly around the taller girl, nuzzling into her slightly.

"I-I agree." Haru giggled as Makoto slowly returned her embrace, her arms a little bit more hesitant than her own.

The two stood there for a few moments, before Makoto pulled away. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at the ground, her face slightly red.

Haru took notice. She knew that Makoto wasn't as good at expressing… softer emotions. And all of this was still new to the both of them. The two hadn't been dating more than a few weeks, and they were still trying to figure out how to proceed. Even though Haru had been engaged, she really hadn't participated in any "couple-like" behavior due to her feelings (or lack thereof) towards Sugimura.

Regardless, the two of them were still friends, and Haru decided that they would just build on that. She waved Makoto in and stepped aside. "Please, come inside. It's freezing out there, and I've got just the thing to warm you up!"

The other girl nodded, walking into the building. "Thank you. Though I must admit, you've already done a fine job at warming me up." She gave a shy smile.

Haru could feel her own cheeks heat up. "I'm glad!" She closed the door behind the two of them. "Make yourself at home." She turned and walked back to the kitchen, intending to complete what she had started. "I just need to finish preparing our coffee. I'll set it out in the living room once it's done."

As she made her way to the cups she had left out, she heard confirmation from the other girl, and then some shuffling. She assumed that Makoto was removing her shoes.

Approaching the coffee, Haru finished pouring it, steam rising from both cups. The aroma was heavenly, and Haru could definitely see why so many people around the world appreciated the hot beverage. She decided to leave it black so that the two could taste its natural flavor.

Haru picked both cups up and walked over to the coffee table in her living room. She saw that Makoto had already taken a seat and was watching her. Her arms and legs were both crossed, and Haru could tell that the other girl was nervous.

One reason that the gardener had invited her girlfriend over today was to help put her mind at ease. The two had had a great repertoire going, whether it was in school or during a Palace infiltration. When they had started dating, it seemed that some of this comfortableness had flown out the door, and a new unease had settled in. At least, it had on Makoto's end.

Haru had loved the direction that their relationship had taken, and had initially tried to instigate any form of affection. In public, Makoto wouldn't have it, and, while she would not exactly reject Haru's advances, she would edge away or turn it into a friendlier gesture.

The most likely scenario was that the student council president was overthinking it, as she had a tendency to do with many things. So, Haru was determined to show her that there was nothing to worry about, and that they could still act the same as they had before, with some more affection thrown in here and there.

Haru approached the couch and took a seat, handing a cup to her girlfriend. "Here you are. Make sure to drink it while it's still hot."

Makoto nodded her thanks as she untangled her limbs. Her fingers brushed the other girl's as she took hold of the handle. Haru giggled at Makoto's slight blush from the action.

Lifting the cup to her lips, she took a small sip. Haru could tell that the resulting smile and sparkle in her eyes were genuine as she exclaimed, "This is amazing, Haru. You've outdone yourself."

"Why thank you, Mako-chan! That's high praise, coming from you." Haru smiled as she took a sip for herself. It did taste pretty good.

There was a silence as the two seniors imbibed in their coffee. It wasn't too long before they had both finished their cups altogether.

Haru placed her cup on the table, leaning back into the couch comfortably once she had finished. "This is so nice, isn't it?"

"Mm." Haru looked to see that Makoto had placed her cup next to her own, but instead of continuing to follow her actions, the other girl had instead opted to sit rigidly, her back straight and hands folded on her lap. It seemed awfully uncomfortable.

Deciding to make a joke to lighten the mood, Haru said, "At ease, President Niijima." She giggled as Makoto sputtered.

"H-Haru. M-my apologies. I just… didn't want to look slovenly in front of you." The student council president slumped forward, covering her face with her hand.

"Mako-chan. Please don't worry." Haru sat back up, rubbing a hand up and down the other girl's back in a soothing motion. "Firstly, I don't think you could look slovenly even if you tried. And secondly, we're dating! We need to be able to see each other at our best as well as our worst. So please," Haru leaned back into the couch, "relax, Mako-chan."

The gardener watched as Makoto removed her hand from her face and turned to look at her. Her face was slightly red. It seemed that she was still uncertain. If that was the case, Haru was happy to give her another reason to follow through.

"This couch is really very comfortable." She wiggled herself so that she was further pressed back against it. "You should feel it for yourself."

The appreciative smile that Makoto gave made Haru's heart beat just a little bit faster. One of the things that she prided herself on was knowing how to read a person's emotions, and this skill was doubly-useful when it came to deciphering her girlfriend's own behaviors. Seeing her efforts rewarded by a thankful smile made Haru happy.

The student council president finally obliged, leaning back against the plush couch. "Wow, Haru. You weren't kidding. This is extremely comfortable." Makoto sighed as she got adjusted. Haru noticed that her hands, while still on her lap, didn't seem to be as tightly wound as before.

Deciding to push the envelope a bit further, Haru reached out and gently took hold of her hands with one of her own. The two weren't in public, so it would hopefully be okay with the other girl.

"Ah!" Makoto's hands twitched, but she didn't move away. She flushed at the sound she had made. "Apologies, Haru. I… suppose I should expect this, shouldn't I?"

Haru smiled. "It's no problem, Mako-chan. This is new for both of us, so there's always a chance that I'm coming on too strong." Squeezing her hand, she murmured, "So please, if you ever feel that we're moving too fast, let me know."

"Really?" Makoto made a face. "I had thought that you had experience with this."

Haru shook her head. "Not at all."

"Hm. But you seemed so comfortable with it. And with… well… even if you didn't like him all that much…"

Haru squeezed her hand. "To be honest, we really didn't engage in anything like that. It was mostly for show, after all."

"I see. I apologize if I brought up any… painful memories." Haru looked to see Makoto looking away from her, her jaw clenched.

Haru was conflicted. Again, if she were being honest, she had put most thoughts of Sugimura out of her mind. And she didn't want him, even indirectly, to ruin another aspect of her life. Especially not one she cared about so deeply. But she knew that Makoto would ruminate on this for the rest of her visit.

So, Haru decided to insert a fact about coffee into the conversation. It was originally supposed to be part of a joyous give-and-take, but she supposed it could be used to distract her girlfriend as well. After all, Makoto loved any sort of trivia.

"You know," Haru began, noticing that Makoto was still not looking at her, "I read an interesting fact about coffee. Would you like to hear it?"

Makoto turned her head to look at the girl. Her eyes seemed troubled, but she nodded her head nevertheless.

Haru smiled. "I think you'll find it entertaining." She squeezed her hand yet again. "There's an old folk tale that there was a goatherder from Ethiopia named Kaldi. He was a young boy whose job was to tend to the goats in the fields for his family."

"I thought you said this was going to be a fact, not a folk tale." Haru tilted her head at Makoto, surprised that she had said this in a teasing tone. It seemed that she was starting to return to her normal composure.

"It's a fact that this is an actual folk tale! Plus, there's some basis of truth in it." She giggled. "You have to give me a chance to finish it."

Makoto chuckled. "Of course. Please, continue."

"So one day, Kaldi grew bored of watching the goats and decided to practice a song on a wooden pipe that he had constructed. He became so invested in his performance that he didn't realize that hours had passed. By the time he looked up again to check on the goats, he saw that they were all gone. Worried, he went looking for them. After a few minutes of searching, he stumbled upon one of the strangest sights he had ever witnessed."

"Were they drinking coffee? That would be very strange." Makoto smirked at her girlfriend.

"No! And I don't think I said that I was finished."

"I'm just imagining goats attempting to drink coffee out of a cup with their tiny little hooves." Makoto laughed.

"Well someone's going to have coffee poured onto their lap if they don't let me continue," Haru murmured in a sarcastically-devious tone.

"Alright. I promise I'll wait until the bitter end."

"Good!" Haru cleared her throat. "He saw that the goats were dancing! They would leap into the air, performing backflips and the like. They twirled and hopped, looking like they were having a grand time. Kaldi thought that they were possessed. Curious, he continued to watch the animals, and he noticed that they seemed to keep returning to a small bush with bright red beans. He decided to eat these himself –"

"Is this a PSA of what _not_ to do, by chance?" Makoto interrupted, not able to help herself.

"True. I wouldn't recommend this, but it makes sense for this story." Haru giggled. "After a few minutes, he found that he became completely energized, and he couldn't help but join the goats in their dance. Eventually, he presented the strange beans to the local monks, who partook in some of them. They found that their midnight prayers came to them much more easily, and they were able to observe mystical visions."

"I see. I'm pretty sure you're going to say Kaldi found some coffee beans, but it sounds like he might've found some sort of drug with these mystical visions going on."

" _Anyway_!" Haru rolled her eyes as Makoto laughed. "From that point on, the effects of this mysterious bean spread, and it wasn't too long before everyone around the world was partaking in the wonderful experience known as coffee." She stopped, signaling that her story was complete.

"So you're saying that we owe coffee's discovery to a herd of dancing goats? I think you've been drinking too many of these mystical beans, Haru." Makoto squeezed her hand.

"Ha ha." Haru squeezed back. "I think dancing goats would be completely adorable. Like you, Mako-chan!" She smiled at Makoto's blush. "If I may continue the comparison –"

"You may _not_ –"

"Like a goat, you're energetic and can butt heads with people you disagree with. But deep down, your cuteness shines through!"

Makoto sighed. "I never thought my girlfriend would compare me to a goat."

Haru said nothing. Instead, she opted to lean her head onto Makoto's shoulder, nuzzling her. She smiled when she felt her girlfriend's head lean down against her own.

"Thank you, Haru." Even though the gardener couldn't move her head to look at the other girl's face, her content tone gave it away. "I'm so lucky to have someone as kind as you looking out for me."

"Of course. You can always count on me, Mako-chan! And I _know_ that I can count on you."

Though the coffee had been warm, its heat couldn't even compare to what Haru was feeling now.

* * *

 _Done! Didja like the story within my story? It's an actual folk tale, though the only factual part of it is that coffee distribution may have started in Ethiopia._

 _I actually intensely dislike coffee, so I knew that I couldn't focus on just the beverage alone, or my story would've been a few sentences about how gross it tasted, and that would be it. Incorporating goats seemed like the best solution!_

 _See you tomorrow!_


	6. First Date

Disclaimer: _I do not own anything in the Persona series._

 _As many first date fanfictions are, this one-shot will probably be the most awkward. Hopefully, that means it'll be funny!_

 _Please enjoy this next part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!_

* * *

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

Deals and Dates:

First Date

-Makoto-

Makoto could definitely handle this. Probably.

Internally, she was kicking herself. When she had made the deal with Ann and Ryuji, she had been somewhat confident that Ann wouldn't be able to uphold her end of the deal. And Makoto knew for a fact that Ryuji _could not_ hold up his end. Unfortunately, the student council president had been wrong on both counts.

She thought back to when the deal had originally been struck. It had been after a particularly strenuous study session at Leblanc, and most of the group had called it quits. Yusuke had trudged home first, saying that he needed to rest his brain before it overheated. Haru had left soon after, seeing as most of the material they had been studying had been for second-years. It was nice to have a refresher, of course, but it wasn't really in the girl's best interest to stay. Especially since everyone knew that these sessions were for two individuals in particular.

Once Akira and Futaba had called it a night, Makoto had honed in on the two individuals she was most concerned about. Ryuji appeared to be skimming through his cell phone, while Ann was unsuccessfully attempting to hide her magazine behind the cover of one of her textbooks.

The student council president had cleared her throat to get their attention, and the two had looked up simultaneously.

"Ah! Looks like the party's over. Guess I'll head home too." Ryuji had stretched his arms above his head, groaning slightly as his shoulders popped.

"No kidding. Well, see ya later, Makoto!" Anna had chirped, packing up her things.

"No." Makoto had grabbed onto both of their shoulders, forcing them to remain seated.

"The hell, Makoto?" Ryuji had snapped, struggling to escape her grasp.

"You two are not leaving until I'm sure that you won't fail your upcoming exams," Makoto had lectured. "You do want to avoid being held back, I assume?"

The two had looked down at their textbooks morosely, nodding glumly at their senpai.

It had been seeing their dejected looks that made Makoto do what she now regretted. She suggested that they could strike a deal in order to make the studying more exciting and worthwhile. If the two of them could earn at least a B or better, then she would do one thing for them. Whatever they wanted.

The two had looked at each other, eyes gleaming. When Makoto had asked what they had thought of, they said in unison, "Ask Haru on a date."

Makoto had blushed, asking where on Earth they had gotten that idea. The two seniors were just friends after all.

"Oh please," Ann had drawled. "We've both seen the way you look at her. To be honest, everyone has."

At Makoto's splutter, Ryuji had piled on. "Yeah! You're always lookin' at her with that soft sorta smile, and you always touch her."

Makoto had to put her foot down at that point. "I do not _touch_ Haru. That would be inappropriate."

Ann had smacked Ryuji then. "Ignore how he phrased it. We're not saying you touch her in a perverted way, though maybe you want to." At Makoto's glare, Ann had cleared her throat nervously. "A-anyway, we meant that you're always giving her hugs, or holding her hand to comfort her."

There had been a brief back and forth until Makoto could not deny what the two younger teens were saying. It appeared that the student council president had a soft spot for her classmate. Whether or not that meant her feelings were more than a simple crush was somewhat debatable.

So, the deal had been made. It seemed that Ryuji and Ann had desperately wanted one of their senpai to make some kind of move, and this deal was the best way to do it. Over the next few days, the two put their all into their studying, and even Makoto was impressed with their dedication. But still, there was no way that Ryuji could get anywhere close to a B. He'd either failed or barely passed all of his previous exams.

A few days after the exams, the results were posted. And Makoto couldn't believe her eyes.

The two had both obtained B's. Though Ryuji had just barely, he had done it nonetheless. After a fair amount of teasing at the expense of the student council president, they agreed that Makoto now had to ask Haru out on a date. It had to be this weekend, and it had to be a _date_ and not just a friendly outing, but Makoto was free to come up with any other details.

"Damn those two," Makoto murmured, drumming her fingers nervously on her desk. It was last period on a Saturday, meaning that Makoto was running out of time. The consequence of not following through on the deal was having the two blondes announce the girl's feelings to the school, similar to how they sent out a calling card. Makoto could definitely not afford to have that happen. Who knew what her teachers would say? She shuddered to think how her sister would react.

Makoto was so distracted that she didn't even notice that classes had ended for the day until she saw students all around her packing up and leaving the room. She quickly pulled her phone out of her bag, and tapped to the conversation chain that she had formed with Haru, triple-checking that none of the other Phantom Thieves were included. Even if the others evidently knew of her feelings, she didn't feel comfortable broadcasting that fact quite yet.

She tapped out a quick message to the other girl, asking if she could meet up in the Student Council office. The other girl responded almost instantly, agreeing.

Having set in motion something Makoto had no hopes of controlling, the student council president stood up, shoving her phone into her bag.

"I've got this. No problem," she muttered to herself as she traversed the hallways. "Just one date. It's simple. If she says yes, then we hang out, and then we never have to do it again. If she says no, no big deal." However, her heart appeared to disagree with her brain. It throbbed painfully at the thought of a rejection, and Makoto shook her head slightly. Why did she care so much if Haru said no? Were Makoto's feelings really that deep?

"Yo! Makoto!" Said girl turned her head to see Ryuji and Ann walking up to her, the former waving his hand at her.

Her heart fell at the sight. Her confidence was already at an all-time low – she didn't need the additional teasing. At this point, she was more likely to run screaming from the building than ask Haru on a date.

"Hello," she said simply. When the two approached, Makoto saw that they were both grinning deviously.

"So, you have any plans for tomorrow, Makoto?" Ann asked, winking at her.

"Yes." Makoto wasn't going to give them any ammunition.

"With who?" Ryuji teased, kicking her shoe lightly with his own.

"You know very well. And besides, it's 'with whom'. Honestly, I have no idea how you managed to pass your exams, let alone obtain a decent grade."

"Damn! She really is like a robot. No friendly back-and-forth, and correcting my grammar," Ryuji muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Who told you about that?" Makoto demanded, looking between the two blondes.

"Who else? Akira knows everything." Ann giggled.

"I'm going to kill him."

"Hey! Ease up, Prez!" Ryuji exclaimed. "You're too damn serious for your own good sometimes."

Makoto sighed, her nervous energy building and mostly rendering her incapable of speech.

"Makoto. Everything's going to be fine." Ann strode up beside her friend and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Even if she says no, it's not like you won't still be friends. Haru's a nice person, you know? She'd never want to hurt anyone's feelings."

"Unless they were from a shadow. Yeesh, she sometimes scares me when we're in the Metaverse!" Ryuji laughed.

Makoto nodded. She slowly eased out of Ann's grip, straightening her collar that had been ruffled slightly at the other girl's rough contact. "I see. I have to go now."

"Oi! You're not runnin' away, are ya?" Ryuji teased as Makoto turned her back on the two, not wanting to keep Haru waiting.

"Of course not. A deal's a deal." The older girl shook her head as Ryuji and Ann laughed, and she couldn't help but throw them an exasperated grin. Makoto had to admit, their teasing, even if it was at her own expense, was funny. And she knew deep down that she was a little bit excited about what was ahead.

Her pulse elevated, Makoto practically ran the rest of the way to the Student Council office, seeing that Haru was not yet there. Only Makoto had a key to the office, so she knew that Haru would have to be waiting outside the room if she were there.

She walked up to the door, lifting the key out of her bag, before stopping. She should probably meet Haru outside, and then maybe invite her in. Makoto didn't think that she could handle waiting in a quiet room for her friend (and possibly, more than friend) to arrive. The loud hustle and bustle of the student body could distract her racing mind somewhat.

Fortunately, Makoto didn't have to wait long. A cheery call of her name (or rather, her nickname) had her looking up from where she had been leaning against the wall. There was Haru, clad in her usual pink sweater. She looked as bright and happy as always, and Makoto found herself staring.

"Hello, Haru. I'm glad you could make it." Makoto internally shook her head, refocusing her thoughts. She needed to be clear-headed to get through this without messing it up.

"Of course, Mako-chan! So, what's up?" Haru tilted her head, curious.

Makoto turned and unlocked the door to the Student Council office, opening it. "Just a simple matter I'd like to discuss. If you'd follow me?" She walked in briskly.

"Sure…?" Haru sounded as uncertain as Makoto felt, and it made the student council president that much more nervous.

Once the two had made it inside, Makoto closed the door behind her. For a fleeting instant, she thought about locking the door so that no one could intrude, but that… would probably freak the other girl out.

Makoto indicated to one of the chairs at the table. "Please, have a seat."

Haru grinned at her. "Am I in trouble?" Was it just Makoto's imagination, or had Haru said that in a more… flirtatious tone of voice?

She cleared her throat. "Of course not. I'd just like for you to be comfortable." She indicated the chair again, feeling very awkward while doing so. "Please."

Haru nodded and said nothing further, taking the designated seat. Makoto sat down across from her, smoothing her skirt nervously.

"So, I imagine you must be curious about why I've called you in here." Makoto figured she might as well start this conversation in the same way she started all of her other ones in this room.

"Mm." Haru smiled at the other girl, her informal tone drastically clashing with Makoto's. The student council president took it as a hint to ease up slightly and to just… act normally.

"Well… I was wondering if you were, perhaps, free tomorrow afternoon?" There – she'd gotten the ball rolling. She could feel her hands starting to sweat and tremble, so she threaded them together and placed them in front of her on the table, hoping Haru hadn't noticed.

The other girl gave her a questioning look. "I don't have anything in particular planned for then. Why?"

Makoto swallowed. "Um… if you're not busy, as you seem to be indicating, it might be nice for us to… spend some time together. If you'd like to."

Haru looked at Makoto closely, clearly thinking. Makoto found it difficult to maintain eye contact, but she didn't want to appear _too_ nervous. Though, for someone as intuitive as Haru, it was probably extremely obvious anyway.

"Is everything alright, Mako-chan? There's no need to be so formal with me." She gave a tired smile. "I deal with enough of that outside of school."

"Y-yes." Makoto cursed internally at the stutter in her voice. "I'm quite alright, Haru. I just…" Evidently, she couldn't think of anything. It was strange. Makoto always had the ability to talk through a situation, and it was only on rare occasions where she would be tongue-tied. However, it seemed that Haru was having that effect on her more and more as of late. Or maybe ever since Ann and Ryuji had so rudely pointed out her potential attraction to the girl.

After a pause, it was clear that Makoto was not going to finish her thought. Haru seemed to sense this, so she jumped in. "To answer your question, I'd love for us to spend some time together. We rarely get a chance to, outside of… our other activities." She inclined her head towards Makoto, clearly referencing their Phantom Thieves business.

"I agree." Makoto smiled. It seemed that she had done it. Well, sort of. She had phrased it as more of a friendly get-together rather than a romantic excursion, but she could worry about that later. The two hashed out the specifics of where they were to meet, and at what time. It seemed that everything was going according to plan.

That was, until Haru added, "Then it's a date!"

Makoto coughed, blushing heavily. "Date?"

Haru nodded. "Yes! I figured that was why you were so nervous. Why would you be so stressed about spending time together as friends?" She tilted her head. "Unless…" Her face suddenly fell. "I had the completely wrong idea, and now I've… oh."

At Makoto's lack of reaction, Haru began to ramble, "If I've assumed, please don't give it a second thought. I… um…"

The student council president realized where her hesitation had driven the other girl to. Before Haru could get the _actual_ wrong idea, Makoto reached out and grabbed one of her hands. Luckily, it seemed that her own had grown less sweaty and clammy. "Haru. You don't have the wrong idea. At all." She smiled nervously. "This was intended to be… asking you out. I… feel something towards you, something more than friendship. I'd like to explore it." She squeezed the other girl's hand. "I appreciate you taking the initiative. I don't know if I would have been able to ask it outright."

"I see…" Haru murmured, not unhappily. She returned the pressure, squeezing Makoto's hand as well. "I'll admit… I feel something for you as well… Makoto? Mako-chan? Um…" It seemed that Haru was struggling to figure out how she should address the other girl.

Makoto chuckled. "Mako-chan is fine. Actually, it makes me really happy when you use that nickname for me. It makes me feel… special. Close to you."

Haru nodded. "Alright then! Mako-chan it is!" She rubbed Makoto's hands vigorously. "And of course you're special. Even if I didn't have feelings for you."

"Thank you, Haru." The two sat there for a few moments, holding each other's hands and smiling gently. It seemed that this had gone better than expected.

Much better.

* * *

 _And there we have it! I'm not sure if this is cheating, since they didn't technically go on a date, but they discussed going on one (and the challenge didn't specifically say that they had to be "on a date" – the subject of a date just had to be included). Plus, I kinda count some of my other stories (like the coffee one-shot from yesterday) as a sort-of date experience, so there ya go! If there is an Okujima Week 2020, maybe a continuation of this one-shot will be included._

 _Tomorrow is the last day. I hope everyone has had fun with this!_


	7. Anything

Disclaimer: _I do not own anything in the Persona series._

 _Here is the last part of this week-long challenge! The prompt for this day was literally "Anything", so… who knows what'll happen?_

 _Please enjoy this final part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!_

* * *

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

Dreams:

Anything

-Makoto-

Makoto awoke with a start. The room was dark, indicating that it was the middle of the night. Turning her head instinctively to her bedside desk, she squinted at the digital clock. The time of 3:09am glowed on its surface, though it appeared much brighter due to Makoto's sleep-deprived state.

She groaned softly, wondering why she had woken up in the first place. She'd been having relatively pleasant dreams, so it wasn't like she'd been startled by a nightmare.

She slowly sat up, pushing the covers off of herself. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she yawned lightly. Makoto had the feeling that she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep immediately, so she decided that she might as well get something to drink to quench her slight thirst.

She quietly moved her legs to the side of the bed, taking in the plush sensation of the carpet on her bare feet. She stood, swaying slightly.

As she made her way out of the bedroom, she thought back to the dreams and smiled.

"I must be feeling particularly nostalgic tonight," she murmured, opening the door and making her way to the kitchen. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing at how unruly it was. "It would be nice to go one night without tangling my hair up in a thousand knots."

She took note of the nightlight in the hall, appreciating its soft glow. Though she'd mostly gotten over her fear of the dark, it was nice to not be in pitch-black darkness.

After a few more minutes of slowly walking through the hallway, she found herself in front of the fridge.

"And here we go." Makoto opened up the appliance, blinking slightly at the light that streamed out of it. She located a bottle of water on one of its shelves, and quickly snapped it up, twisting the cap off.

She took a long sip, using her free hand to close the fridge door behind her.

Once she was satisfied, Makoto made her way over to the table, sitting down in one of the wooden chairs. She knew that she should probably make her way back to the bedroom, lest she either stay awake the rest of the morning, or pass out in the kitchen. But at the moment, she found that she didn't really have the energy to do so. Instead, she took another sip of water.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Luckily, Makoto had finished taking her drink. Had she not, she surely would've been choking on it now. She whipped her head around quickly to see Haru standing in the doorway behind her in her pajamas, smiling gently.

Now that she had located the source of the sound, Makoto calmed herself. "No." She gave the other woman a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

Haru shook her head. She slowly made her way over to Makoto, her fluffy pink slippers making her steps silent. That explained how she had been able to sneak up on her.

Haru stopped at Makoto's side, bending over and gently kissing the top of her head. The action sent a warm and content feeling fluttering through Makoto's chest.

"How are you awake, then?" Makoto murmured. She angled her head so that she could look up at Haru.

"I'm not sure. I just happened to wake up, and felt that you weren't there." She giggled. "I wondered whether or not you were already getting ready for your day."

"Three in the morning is a bit excessive, even for what I do." Makoto gave a slight chuckle.

Haru nodded at her statement. She took a seat next to Makoto, though she turned the chair so that she was basically across and facing her.

Makoto took hold of her hand, squeezing gently. "I had a rather wonderful dream."

"What about?"

"A number of events, actually." Makoto took another sip of her water. "I dreamed about the time when I first asked you on a date."

Haru squeezed her hand back. "Ah yes, I remember that." She giggled again. "And I wouldn't say that you asked me. I think _I'm_ the one who actually labeled it as such."

Makoto rolled her eyes. "I suppose you're right. I was so nervous, I could barely form the words."

Haru took the water bottle from Makoto's hand and took a sip. "I remember you telling me that it had been a bet between you, Ann, and Ryuji."

"Shameful as it is to admit, that was the initial reason." She smirked. "And I believe that was _my_ water." She made to snatch the bottle back, but Haru moved it out of her reach.

"But I'm terribly thirsty." Haru took another sip, winking at her.

"I suppose I'll have to allow it, then." Makoto returned to squeezing Haru's hand. "I wouldn't want my girlfriend to die of thirst."

There was a silence as Haru continued to sip at the now half-empty water bottle, Makoto watching her. The only sound that could be heard was the hum of kitchen appliances.

"I also dreamed about the time you made coffee for me."

"Which time? I happen to make coffee for you even to this day, you know."

Makoto laughed. "I would never forget that." She cleared her throat, which was desperately missing the source of liquid it had grown accustomed to. "One of the first times you brewed a cup for me, and you told me a folk tale about dancing goats."

Haru giggled. "I see. I thought that was a rather cute story, myself."

"Hm."

"What else did you dream about?" Haru set the bottle down on the table, evidently finished with it.

"Our times back in the Metaverse."

"Ah, yes. I miss being a part of the Phantom Thieves sometimes." Haru smiled sadly at Makoto.

"Agreed." Makoto raised Haru's hand to her lips, giving it a quick kiss. "I dreamed about the time that I first taught you how to drive."

"In Mementos?" Haru asked. When Makoto nodded, she shook her head. "That was a particularly harrowing experience. I was worried we wouldn't live to see the next day."

"Because of the Reaper, or because of your abysmal driving?"

Haru smacked the other woman's arm, which caused her to laugh. "The Reaper! Honestly, you and Mona-chan still tease me about my driving. You know as well as I do that I successfully obtained my driver's license."

"After the third attempt."

" _Yes_!" Haru sighed. "Did you possibly dream about something that _wasn't_ insulting to me?"

"Of course." Makoto smiled. "I dreamed about giving you the key to my apartment."

Haru squeezed her hand. "I definitely remember that day. That was one of the sweetest gestures I'd ever witnessed." She leaned forward and gave Makoto a kiss on her cheek. "And we did end up moving in together, didn't we?"

Makoto nodded. "I would say so, unless you somehow broke into my home in the middle of the night." The two laughed.

"I mean, we _did_ break into Palaces all the time back then. I suppose I could've retained a few of those skills now." Haru winked at her.

"Be careful what you say, _dear_ ," Makoto teased. "I can't very well ignore threats of illegal activity, being an officer of the law and everything."

"But you couldn't arrest me," Haru quipped back. "There would be a riot outside of your office if the head of Big Bang Burger was arrested. Production might be interrupted, and how would the general public obtain their fast food then?"

"I never thought cheeseburgers would be my downfall," Makoto murmured.

"Of course!" Haru giggled. "Besides, I would have plenty of information about your past that your coworkers might find… _of interest_."

"Blackmailing a police officer, eh?" Makoto rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Alright. I think it's time to head back to bed before you can commit any other crimes. I can only overlook so many, you know." She gave Haru's hand one last squeeze before letting go and standing up, taking up the nearly empty water bottle and draining it.

Haru stood as well. "Sounds like a plan."

Makoto placed the empty bottle back onto the table, intending to take care of it later in the morning. Before Haru could get too comfortable thinking she had won their little back-and-forth, the officer decided to do one more thing to tease her. Turning to face the other woman, she knelt down and slid an arm under her knees. Before Haru could register what she was doing, Makoto stood back up and brought her other arm behind her back, lifting her into the air.

Haru gave a squeak of surprise. "W-what's this all about?"

Makoto smiled. "Just getting you back for all the times you made fun of my awkwardness in romantic relationships." She gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Haru gave her a confused look. "Did you dream about that as well?"

Makoto nodded. "Yes. I dreamed about the time when I injured myself in that aikido tournament, and even though I was in pain, you couldn't resist flirting with me."

Haru snorted. "I was legitimately concerned for you! Besides," she gave a peck on the lips as well, "you seemed to be fully recovered by the next day, if the following night's events were any indication." Her eyes twinkled.

"Ah. You thought you could embarrass me." Makoto chuckled. "Perhaps you could have a decade ago, but we've become much more acclimated to intimate moments after all these years."

"You're no fun, Mako-chan."

"Perhaps." Makoto nuzzled Haru's head with her own. "Let's get going, anyway."

Haru nodded. "Yes. Onward, Mako-chan!" Haru cheered, pointing forward.

"I'm not a dog to mush," Makoto grumbled good-naturedly, walking slowly to keep Haru balanced in her arms.

"Are you sure you didn't dream about that as well?" Haru asked. She nuzzled her head into Makoto's shoulder. "It seems like you had an experience with everything in the universe tonight."

"When was the last time you remember me being a dog?" Makoto maneuvered into the hallway, taking care not to bump her girlfriend's head on the wall. She would never hear the end of it if she did that.

"But you did, didn't you? You haven't said no."

Makoto chuckled. "Not exactly. I dreamed that I had a dog Pokémon, though. A Growlithe," she added after noticing the puzzled look on Haru's face.

"Is this because you were playing Pokémon last night?" Haru giggled.

"Who's to say? You were there too, though. You had a Meowth named Mona-chan."

Haru smiled. "That seems perfect. I'm sure he'd appreciate being a cat in a completely alternate universe as well."

"Well don't tell him I said that." Makoto winked conspiratorially.

After a few more minutes, Makoto had made her way back into their bedroom. She walked over to the bed, bending over to gently lay Haru down onto it. As she stood up, she felt hands on the front of her shirt, pulling her back down. She eagerly complied, finding Haru's lips on her own. She moved a hand to cup the other woman's face, feeling Haru resting a hand on the back of her head.

They stayed this way for a minute before Makoto pulled back. She said nothing, but simply looked into Haru's eyes, her hand that had cupped the other woman's face now stroking her cheek. Her heart beat just a little bit faster when Haru leaned into her touch.

"I… know that we tease each other more often than not, but I want you to know…" Haru smiled at her. "I truly appreciate you being in my life, Makoto. More than I can really ever express."

Makoto smiled warmly back. "You've always been so sweet, Haru. I care so deeply for you, it's sometimes hard to believe that this is all really happening." She ran her thumb down Haru's cheek one last time before walking over to the other side of the bed. On her way there, she paused and gently removed Haru's slippers. She tossed them onto the floor.

"Thank you," Haru murmured. Makoto nodded at her, making her way over to her side of the bed.

When she arrived, she lifted the covers and slid in, settling down next to her girlfriend.

Makoto smiled to herself when she felt Haru snuggle up close to her, moving her head in between her own head and shoulder. "Good night, Makoto." She could feel Haru's lips on her neck. "I love you."

Makoto moved her arms up to squeeze Haru closer to herself. "I love you too, Haru."

Even though it had been ten years, Makoto could honestly say her passion for Haru burned just as brightly as it had on the day she had first confessed to her.

Noir had stolen her heart. And Queen had stolen hers as well.

Perhaps this was the real meaning behind being a Phantom Thief.

* * *

 _Done! This story actually started out being really hard to write, and then it all just came to me as I wrote._

 _Did you like my plan? I thought having Makoto remember all of these events in a dream would be a neat way to tie all of the one-shots together. The order that Makoto mentions the dreams is the order in which they occurred in their reality, though they happened out of order in real life due to prompts being what they were each day. The explanation behind that is that people sometimes have dreams that are jumbled up or are out of order._

 _Something I wanted to point out. I was very careful to make sure neither one said "I love you" to the other in all of the other one-shots, since they had only really just started dating. Haru said something to the effect of "I love how you do…" something or other to Makoto (and Makoto talked about taking care of loved ones), but I didn't want them to say those three important words until they had really been together for a while._

 _Thank you again for everyone who read my stories! It was fun to write these seven one-shots, and it was great to see others do the same. I think this pairing will always hold a special place in my heart, and I can't wait to see how its portrayal will evolve in the future._

 _Happy Okujima Week 2019 everyone!_


End file.
